A Mortal Life in the Forest (OPEN)

[Jason Weston]

Jason Weston glared around the forest as if his life depended on what he saw through his blue eyes. He hefted his pack full of food, clothes, weapons and a sleeping bag. The young, adult human staggered over to a cabin or a small shed as he started quiver of shame and pain.

Memories flew into his mind as he remembered the attack. A red puddle at his feet, a horror like scream, 3 vampires and him crying over a young woman. Oh, the memories are....so....terrible. Jason stared up as he fought back a scream of pain and of loss. (Keep it together, Jason. And why did you come back to this horrible place..memories of loved ones? Right...?) his second voice taunted, as he stared at the old cabin that held a haunting memory. He tried to not scream at the voice. It will never answer back, but Jason only knew one thing. To ignore it.

Jason Weston sighed as he slouched himself against a nearby tree and tears started to come. He has never cried like this for months, ever since the incident. After Clary died, he kept himself moving and not letting him stop enough to think. The young man only stop for water, sleep and food. Jason muttered as took a long draw of water before glaring around the area before staring as his mud caked tennis shoes.
Knew that he has to meet an enemy, soon. All he can tell is that it is soon. But, who knows when he will finally loose all hope. He may die with loss of hope right now, to only rot beside this very tree that he is leaning against. He looked up again hear the first croaking frogs of the evening. He sighed, another long night is approaching.

[Ωᴚԑɲ]

Red stretched with a yawn and picked up her pack. She hated these woods; why had she been sent here? Destroy anything moving, those were her orders. Her people had been sent here to annihilate a corrupt world but she couldn't figure out why they didn't simply take control of this place. Vampires and Werewolves were a problem, yes, but Humans looked on Angles as celesital beings, things of light and everything that was good. For the most part. Michael himself was a warrior, but Gabriel was a messenger, a bringer of good news, and they are equal in status so wouldn't the Humans accept the Angles and serve them so long as the Angles weren't trying to kill them?

She sighed and began her hike through the night. During the day it was too quiet to hunt for living things; everything moved when the sun went down. Everything except humans, that is, but they were easy to find. If there was a house there was probably a human somewhere nearby, especially a deserted house. Roamers took to those places more often than not, because who would be stupid enough to live in a house? Well, stupid people would, but no one checked the abandoned houses much. If they wanted to try to survive out in the wild, let the animals take care of them.

Red stopped in her treck and cocked her ear to one side. That was a twig snapping, and she knew it wasn't herself. Yeah, she was walking, but more of a floating walk than a full on trodding.

Twigs didn't break when she stepped on them.

Crouching, she peered into the comming dusk and listened just as intently. Something was out there. She ran lightly toward the sound but kept to the trees as much as possible. They were clearing out, it seemed. Soon she saw the reason; there was a building not too far away. And heading toward the building was a hobbling man.

Smirking to herself and rolling her eyes, she readied an arrow. He was a poor soul, crying his eyes out and such, but somehow she couldn't feel much pity. His eyes were all but holes of despair and his outfit spoke of hard times. If she were a human she might think that death would be a mercy at this point, but... She lowered her bow and slowly eased the tension on the string.

Hell was much worse than anything this man had ever imagined. It wouldn't take ten minutes in Hell for him to be begging for the despair he felt now. With a sigh she began walking toward the house, toward him. If he was offensive she would retaliate but odds were that he was just as willing to leave her alone as she was to leave him alone.

More to announce her presense than anything, she began to sing a lullaby her father had taught her.

"Mockingbird Mockingbird,
Why do you sing?
Is it for boy Johnny?
Is it for the King?

Mother will join you,
Sing loud and clear
Please sing till evening
For all here to hear."

Red smiled but didn't finish the verses. Her voice wasn't the best among the Angels but Humans seem enthralled no matter what. Looking to the man she searched his face. Why was he here? Did he like her song?

[Jason Weston]

Jason groaned sadly as he remembered his wife dying in the forest. His blue eyes blinked a few tears slid down his dirty cheeks. His brown is slightly glued together after 3 weeks from being not washed. The mortal clutched slightly at his jeans and wished to say that he is sorry to his love. To tell her that he misses her and that he is sorry to be to late to save her from the vampires.

The mortal paused as he heard a singing voice. The voice stopped him from crying and he started to hum with the tune. It was a lovely, soothing words. His blue eyes looked around to look for where the song is coming from. He sighed again when the song finished.

He finally saw Red and backed up a little. "Greetings." he said politely to the angel. He is still cautious about the angel being so close to him. "I love your song. You also remind me of my wife. So, I thank you for soothing me. I really needed it." he bowed his head as he slowly stood up. "I...I don't want to hurt you." he said softly with hands up. Not showing any weapons on him. "I am Jason. I came here to remember my wife...she was killed and changed into a vampire." he murmured politely to Red. "I used to live with her at the cabin or shed over there." he pointed to the abandoned building that sits nearby.

[Ωᴚԑɲ]

Red raised her eyebrow at his "Greetings." Not exactly what she had expected. As a harbinger of death, most human were begging for mercy about now. But Mercy wasn't something Red was accustom to giving. Any human so frightened that they would whine at the feet of an angel, they had no reason to live.

She didn't respond to his thanks or the tale of woe about his wife. Her eyes remained cold. Petty love was all that was. Any idiot who thought he could fall in love in a time like this... no, any idiot who thought love was something to nurture in a time like this deserved anything he got. The song had been a child's rhyme, something this man had never heard before. To take comfort in it... He was a fool.

He told her that he didn't want to hurt her. Uhuh, like he could if he tried. She could fly, she had weapons, he was here for just a visit to a house that held value. She glanced at the house. Some value he put in it. Maybe he should have taken care of it if he loved it so much.

A small smirk formed on Red's face and she turned and walked toward the old house. "Does the stove still work? Maybe you could make me a meal." Technically it would be their meal, something for the both of them, but why make him think she cared? A lie could only hurt him.

Without any care for the structure of the house, she walked up to the door and pushed it open. Wood split as the lock tore a chunk out of the frame. She looked at it for a second before walking in. Whoops. Maybe using that much force wasn't such a good idea.

Proceeding to the kitchen, she found the table and chairs all knocked over. She wrinkled her nose at the slight stench still in the house. Vampires tainted everything they touched. Before the man was there she had the table and chairs back in place. Now, to check the stove. Hopefully it was old-fashioned and was made after the electricity was cut out. Otherwise, another campfire. She sighed at the thought and sent a quick prayer that it still worked.

[Jason Weston]

Jason blinked at the female angel. He has respect toward her, but he will never beg someone for his life. The mortal rather die in battle or die by nature. Jason will never want to be a vampire or were. His golden-brown eyes looked down for a second before smiling politely.

"It has been abandoned for many years. I only come here for memories, but I will happily supply you some food. I am just a simple...nomad or traveler. Been so ever since I was fourteen. That is about 10 years or more." he spoke before taking up his pack. He winced slightly as he started to walk on his weakened left foot. He followed the angel into the small cabin and set down his pack. He made his way to the stove.

He sighed as he sat on his knees and started to open a small hole. "Okay, some wood." he said to himself before quickly as he can he went into the forest. 10 minutes later he had an armful of good sized logs. Jason softly groaned as he hobbled to the stove. Softly laying the wood, he stacked three in the stove. The mortal then shakily took two rocks. Rubbing them together, he quickly got a spark before lighting the pieces of word. The still young man breathed out and the fire started to grow bigger. Closing the opening, he smiled again. "We will have some cooked food in a little while." Jason told Red with a friendly nod of his brown-haired head.

[Ωᴚԑɲ]

Red listened to the human talk about... himself. She didn't particularly care about his story--maybe it was an attempt to get to know her better?-- or his age, which he kind of slipped in there. He left for wood and she stared at the door after him. Peculiar human, this one. Not only was he nonthreatening, not scared, and talkative, he was obedient and... courteous? Was that the right word?

She watched him come back in and groan at the effort of making her a fire. Part of her thought she should help. Part of her thought he should ask if he wanted aid. She went with the later urge and left him to work while she sat idly by. He said they would have food, part of her wondered what. Did he have anything to cook? If not he could use some of the things she carried with her, if he asked. And if he asked, she might even consider bringing him a brace of rabbits to skewer.

She watched him create the fire and build it up and mused over whether she should just offer the food. But because she was an angel she didn't feel it right to simply offer her services. As a heavenly being, she was supposed to wait until a mortal requested her help before going into action. She wondered if he knew that, that he had to ask for her help and when he did she would be happy to oblige but until then she wouldn't move a muscle. Though even if he didn't offer she would make sure he got his fair share of the meal. He was a human male, after all, roaming through the woods. He was probably more starved than she would ever be in her life. But at least he would eat today. That was better than nothing.

"About how soon would you expect to have something ready?" she asked politely. She didn't care if she had to wait but maybe... she wished he would give her something to do. It was boring just sitting here.

[Jason Weston]

ason looked at the angel with interest. He really thinks that talking to an enemy is a bit weird. In the past he has tried and tried very hard to hide and stay away from vampires, werewolves and angels. Yet again, he is here talking to an angel. The dangerous one of the three, he thinks. He fingered his slightly knotty from not being washed for a few days. It has been a while since he found a deep enough stream to wash his body in, so he is really desiring a wash right now.

He looked at the heating oven and sniffed slightly. Jason takes out a musky handkerchief to wipe his nose with before returning it to a jean pocket. The mortal stared around the dirty, old, falling apart shack or cottage. Most houses that were standing before the big reveal of the mythical species. Now, most are down to the ground or are small shack. This shack used to be decent sized house, but the outside of the building fell down and rotted away. If you could look closely, you can see a some gravel from a road, a small, steel frame from a car, and a light pole that is broken in half(now full of bird nests).

He looked at Red again before smiling politely once she asked him something important. Jason never has a person to help him out since his girlfriend died. "Um, the question is if I can take down a meal for two of us. Well, if you have a weapon...maybe you can help me hunt. My leg sort of slows me down..." he tells the angel a slight frown on his lips. "Other than that. I can cook a meal that will take 25-30 minutes to cook." he said politely as he can.

[Ωᴚԑɲ]

Red wanted to jump up at his request for her to go hunting. Something to do! Finally! After days she had something useful to do. She could actually help someone. Her commanding officer was always telling her, "Your heart is too soft" and "This is a time for war, not for peace". She didn't mind the fighting, the killing, the destroying, she was created to do all this, but she was also created to help, heal, and fix. It was more fulfilling to help people, anyway.

Despite her excitement, she lazily got up and gave an exasperated sigh. "I'm supposed to kill your kind on sight, remember? I have weapons." With that and nothing more she walked out of the house and climbed carefully onto the roof, making especially sure that she did not put her weight where it did not belong. She took to the sky.

It didn't take her long to find something. Most creatures ran underground when they saw something coming but because there were no vibrations in the ground they were spotted and shot down before they could go far. It took about ten minutes total to find, kill, gather, and return to the house.

She walked in and set two rabbits on the table and laid out a knife so that Jason could gut them while she fetched spices from her pack. "You know how to skin it, right?" She walked over to her things before turning back. "And make sure you leave the skins usable. I'll tan them tomorrow. You can have one if you like." Fur was a precious commodity and leather was expensive so she always did what she could when she hunted. Though, by the looks of this guy he needed more than leather or skins. Maybe she should offer to help with a few things...

"Once you're done find a stream to wash the knife off in. Take the skins and soak them for a few minutes." With a smile she added, "Take a dunk yourself. I'll set you some dry clothes outside so change before you come in." He was probably wondering why she had an extra set of clothes but truth to be told she wasn't sure herself. They were too large for her petite body. Maybe she was hoping to meet a friend...?

[Jason Weston]

Jason saw her excitement in her eyes and smiled softly. He kept quiet before she stood up and told him outright that she is supposed to kill his type of race. "I have known about that for a long time, miss." he said to the angel. He looked away as Red walked into the forest. He thought that maybe he can catch a glimpse of her flying, but thought of something else to do.

Jason was keeping the stove going when Red came in with rabbits. The mortal sighed and smiled again. "Nice and healthy rabbits. Good find." he tells Red with another nod of his head. "Yes, I do know how to skin prey animals. Alright, I will make sure the skins can used." he said before taking out a switch knife from a back pocket. After about 30 minutes, he had both rabbits skinned.

He then went to a nearby stream and cleaned his knife. Cause of his surroundings, Jason easily slid out of his dirty, old clothes on the stream bed. The mortal came out nice and clean after 25 minutes in the stream. He stepped out and sure enough a fresh set of clothes was waiting for him. Jason dried himself off before going into the new clothes. He walked back to the small shack looked at Red with gratitude.

"Thanks for the clothes. They fit me perfectly. Anyway, I should give you my name. I am Jason Weston." he said to Red before checked on the cooking rabbits.

[Ωᴚԑɲ]

Red smiled to herself as he left. She found much more joy in being a servant than being the master. Her race was, after all, meant to be servants of the Most High. Somehow she got the feeling that this wasn't the apocalypse most humans believed. God destroyed the earth in the past save a few humans. This will probably be the same. After all, God had created the humans out of love, for companionship.

The world would end in fire, Red knew, but the angel's vengeance was not fire.

The man came back and gave her an appreciative smile. The clothes fit nice, he said, and she had to admit they did fit him well. Not only the size, but the style. She took the skinned rabbits from him and gave him a small but please smile.

"I'm Secretariat. My friends call me Red."

She turned toward the sink before she let her smile fade into concern. Had her voice just sounded... gentle? That... She wasn't sure what to make of it. Had this man, this human, touched her heart in some way? He was fragile, weak!... but appreciative. And he didn't fight back when she threw a few demanding statements his way. Was he scared?

Or had he just been though that much?

She shivered at the thought. So much pain... she shook her head to clear her mind and began cutting the meat. If he had noticed her pause... she hoped he didn't. Angels weren't supposed to have weaknesses.

[Jason Weston]

Jason looked at the angel as a friend and nothing else...yet. His brown eyes blinked slowly as he nodded in greeting, "Nice to meet you, Red. I am Jason Weston or just Jason," he replied with his name. He was also a little shocked that her voice sounded a bit gentle. He thought angels where... commanding and loud... He blinked a few times and looked at the ground.

He looked up at Red and sighed softly and leaned on a nearby wall. He looked at the food a little and looked away. He was used to being hungry... all the time. He also has been in many events throughout this weird life. His girlfriend/wife dying... him getting a limp, being chased by wolves, hiding from vampires and angels. Now, talking to an angel... He blinked at the female angel, and he seemed to like her company.

He saw her pause and sighed. "You do not to worry, I am a friend not an enemy, Red. So, relax and calm down a bit." he told Red as he leaned into the wall with another soft sigh. It felt good to have company, and it felt good to have someone to talk to.

[Ωᴚԑɲ]

Red gave him a slightly worried but reassured smile. As long as he thought that's what was bothering her, she was safe. He should know better than to think she was scared, or worried, about anything. At most, she would only ever be slightly confused. She could afford nothing less. Not in this world.

"Well, Mr. Weston," She began, purposefully not using the same informality that he had but keeping a friendly and informal tone, "I'm sure the pleasure of meeting you is all mine. I hope you find me pleasurable, or at least my cooking." She gave him a crooked smile. "You probably aren't aware, but angels aren't raised by their mothers. No..."

She took a second to muse. She didn't know her mother... Her father, on the other hand, was a hard man, seasoned warrior, and was definitely responsible for her dislike of violence and massacre of the Human race.

Looking at Jason, she smiled and shrugged. "And father burnt salad, so I hope you have the same tastes as I do because most people think my cooking is... unique." At least that's what they told her, all of those sniveling brats that she had been assigned to. Most of them were afraid of her, or more accurately her father, and kept any snide comments to themselves. Immature little... she thought to herself.

The water boiling and the pieces of rabbit bouncing in the pot, Red sat down at the table. The food would only be a bit, but until then, why not try for a decent conversation with this human? They were, after all, peculiar creatures.